Partners in Life
by The StarsShadow15
Summary: One-shot: Takes place between that fateful press conference where Judy accidentally set the city on a path of fear and chaos, and when she and Nick reconciled before solving the missing mammals case. Focuses on Nick, as we didn't see him until Judy went and found him under the bridge.
A/N: Like many others, I loved Zootopia enough that it inspired me enough to write and actually finish something. (Which is unheard of in my life) SO here by my first publshed fanfiction. Hope you enjoy. Oh and unsure if necessary but *shrug* Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Zootopia. I only wrote this story.

Edit: 7/9/16 After much debate, I finally decided to add another scene in the end that a few suggested and changed/fixed a few things through out the chapter. Much better now :)

* * *

Fear. Such a powerful emotion. Even with a very minor presence it can corrupt the mind. Change animals into beings they're not. It can warp their views, what they think, see, and feel.

There were two types of fear going on in this current moment. One was a much quieter one, a fear that had been buried away and mostly forgotten. One that she figured was irrational since it only came into existence because of an incident with a bully 15 years ago.

The other was a fear of the coming betrayal. A fear of a truth he had hoped didn't exist. A fear of being thrown back into a reality he thought he escaped.

He noticed her growing apprehension as soon as he started acting aggressively toward her. But he could tell it was more than that. He _knew_ it was more than that, given what she just blurted out to the entire freaking media. _Predators could be reverting back to their nature...something in their biology, their DNA._

Greeaattt idea. Let's make prey even _more_ wary around predators. Predators like _him._ Increase the prejudice and judgement against us for just existing. Make more animals like those cub scouts that had put the muzzle on him.

 _Woooww,_ he had thought as she spoke up at the podium, _what a way to show your gratitude for helping you out. Stab 'em in the back with righteous prejudice!_

"Think I might try to... _EAT YOU!?"_ He snarled while reaching his paws forward with his claws extended to their sharpened glory. He even bared his teeth for emphasis.

He didn't want it to actually work. A small piece of his mind had hoped she'd remain the calm and tough bunny she always seemed to be.

But the response was immediate. She recoiled with a step back and her hand went flying to the Fox Repellent on her belt. Fear was in her eyes, her nose was even twitching, something rabbits always did when afraid.

"I knew it." He said while eyeing the fox repellant sadly. "Just when I thought somebody actually believed in me..."

As she looked down at her own hand, panic started to rise in her mind as she began to realize what she just did. Or rather the meaning he would take from it. Her eyes widened, fearing the worst possible outcome that could happen in the next few moments. Nick could tell she wanted to apologize already, but he wasn't having it. The damage had been done.

"Probably best if you don't have a _predator_ as a partner." He sneered while shoving the application into her face. She looked at in devastation as she saw that it was already mostly filled out. He would've become her partner if she hadn't said those things.

Yup, the worst possible outcome had just happened.

As he walked away he had to fight to remain composed and not break down emotionally. _Never let them see that you get to you_. He couldn't believe it...this now applied to her too. That clever and yet dumb bunny was just another prey that couldn't trust predators. He could admit she had quickly become someone he really enjoyed being around. And all it did was make it hurt that much more.

For a few moments there, he was truly angry at her, but when it was proven that she was afraid of him, all that anger melted away. In its place was pain from a broken heart. She _still_ didn't trust him after all they had been through. _She was still afraid of him_. So he walked away from her. Away from the doubt. Away from the unfair judgement that he never seemed to be able to escape. As he stormed off he could hear her trying to get his attention back. "No, wait, Nick!", she had called out to him, but he just ignored it.

He walked past the horde of reporters knowing they'd pelt her endlessly with questions, effectively stopping her, and he was right. The first one he heard only strengthened his resolve to get out of there. _Were you just threatened by that predator?!_ Look what she did. He hoped she'd enjoy all those annoying reporters, eager to write a story about whatever words they could twist that came out of her mouth. Yeah have fun with the exponentially increased distrust between predators and prey. That dumb bunny... that stupid cop!

 _Oh_. As he approached the door, he ripped off the sticker badge that he had begun to grow fond of and threw it at the floor. _Nick! Nick!_ He had heard the desperation in her voice, the need to apologize, but they fell on deaf ears. Just like all his attempts at showing that he was more than a predator would on prey now. _Because of her._

* * *

Shortly after that conference he went back to what he was doing before she had come into his life. Once more he became the con-man that he always meant to be. The image that society had placed on him and no matter what he did, he couldn't shake it.

Or so he told himself as he sold off another $40 of pawpsicles to the business hamsters in their tiny tuxedos. This was one of the only hustles that were still successful these days.

He had tried a few of his other tricks only to see that with animals increased distrust in a predator, in a _fox_ , they wouldn't even begin to trust him enough to be sold things. With or without Finnick dressed up as his "kid," they still didn't work. So after a heated argument between the two con-mammals about whose fault it was, they went their separate ways.

Or at least for a time. This happened once in a while but they'd always cross paths again and do a few more hustles together. And sure enough, just a day later they reunited, albeit begrudgingly, and decided to work together some more.

After they completed their hustles for the day, just like always, they split the pay. When Nick finished counting off their shares, Finnick walked away from him, got into his car, ripped off the elephant costume and put on his shades. He was about to give a snarky departing comment when he looked back to his partner in crime and saw something he hadn't seen before.

Instead of looking smug like always did, or amused with the hustle they just pulled off, he saw Nick simply standing there, looking at the ground in a forlorn manner. Hands in his pockets, and looking even more slouched than usual.

He really didn't care about the red fox. Nick was just a means to an end in his eyes. But seeing him this out of character made Finnick more curious than anything.

"Hey partner," he called out in his baritone voice. "What's eatin ya?" He didn't notice, but Nick flinched at that.

Partner...

He'd almost had a true one of those. Someone who could actually be trusted to have his back. That'd been exactly what he was thinking about. Carrots...she had invited him to become her partner, and he was ready to say yes. He had almost become a pawlice officer, almost had the chance to be truly worth something. Make an _honest_ living. But that dumb bunny had to go and ruin that chance by bringing up the idea that the predators were attacking prey because they were reverting back to their vicious nature, their ancestral instincts. Even though he hadn't gone "savage", even she, his partner and friend for a time, was afraid of him.

And it _hurt_. She had just asked him to be her partner too, which he was happily considering, and it made the betrayal all the more painful. He still felt an odd tightness in his chest whenever he thought about those moments after the press conference. A lump in his throat would also form occasionally, and he didn't know why. Or didn't want to admit it at least.

After a few seconds of awkward silence passed, he snapped his head back up, and Finnick once again saw him as the smug fox he always was.

"Well nothing right?" Nick finally said, letting out a humorless laugh. "I'm at the top of the food chain, remember? A _predator_. Nothing eats _me."_ Finnick just gave him an odd stare through his sunglasses. His mouth slightly ajar like he wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. So he simply shrugged and turned his attention back to the wheel.

"Cool...Ciao." After rolling up the windows and stomping on the gas, away he went.

Nick didn't watch him leave. As soon as the small fox had shrugged and turned his attention to the wheel, he had walked away.

As Finnick drove, while again, he didn't care about the other fox, he couldn't get his mind off that odd comment. Why would he bring up the fact that they're predators? It's not like... Oh. His eyebrows rose as he realized what was causing the change in his behavior.

That press meeting… the one that practically branded all predators as dangerous. The bunny that had managed to hustle Nick, the master of deception, was the one who had said it all. He figured if she was there, he was as well. And shortly after that he had reappeared, ready to go back to what they were doing before that clever bunny came along.

Finnick frowned at this. Being judged because of his species or getting stereotyped wouldn't usually bother Nick. So there musta been something between him and that bunny to make it possible that he'd get affected by her views or actions. The guy was usually as tough as nails, never letting anything get to him. Finnick was always slightly envious of that ability. Not that much got to him either, but he couldn't permanently plaster a face of smugness on him at all times like Nick seemed to be able to. Or _was_ able to at least.

After a few more moments of thought, he shrugged it off and blasted his radio on the heavy metal station, effectively clearing his mind of all sappy thoughts.

* * *

A few hours later, Nick was slowly walking down the street with a forced smug grin. Back to the life he had once grown comfortable with. A lifestyle he had been accustomed to for _years_ , felt so...off... after not even 48 hours with a bunny cop. She had quite the influence on him...and he hated to admit it. Though she had a lot more influence than just that, and it wasn't good. He kept hearing animals talk about more and more incidents of other mammals going savage. There were only 15 total cases last he checked, the ones that he and Judy had found. If he was counting (which he wasn't), there had to have been in the mid 20's by now. On more than one occasion, as he'd walk by the conversation, they'd shoot him a nervous glance. He'd just look up and smile at them, giving them a wave. Pretending it didn't bother him that they were nervous for no good reason.

As he walked by the place he had first met Judy, that ice cream parlor, he couldn't resist a glance inside. It'd be like looking down memory lane. But what he saw was not what he was expecting.

Everyone inside was crowded around a TV that was hanging up in the corner. On it were the two news casters, the snow leopard and a moose, with a large title below them saying "Tensions Flare At Peace Rally." He angrily shook his head after he read that.

 _Yeah thanks, Carrots. You really made the city a better place._ He was about to keep on walking when, speak of the devil, a shot of the ZPD at the ensuing riot showed his favorite...no, showed the bunny cop that caused this mess. She was shown trying her hardest to break up a growing fight between a leopard and a pig. She was trying to uphold the peace that Gazelle was doing her best to restore, but it was clearly a lost cause at this point.

 _Maybe she was trying to fix the problems she had caused_. A rational part of him said. While he wanted to remain in that realm of thought, her betrayal quickly came back to mind and his heart continued to ache once more.

Speaking of heart ache and Carrots…He pulled out the carrot pen that Judy incidentally left with him. Why did he keep it? He always had half a mind to just throw it away. But then maybe one day he'd get to return… No, it was just a reminder of that carrot farming dumb bunny that was like all the rest.

As he walked up to a trash can he outstretched his hand to drop it in without even stopping. But as his hand was above the trash, ready to let go of its contents, he hesitated. Then hesitated some more. His lips curled into a snarl in frustration, showing off his gleaming sharp incisors.

"Come on." He growled, trying to coax himself into leaving the past where it belongs. Get rid of the source of all this emotional distress. But he just couldn't. He just couldn't choose to forget her. Not yet at least.

"Fine." He said with indignation but then with a smirk, remembering a certain someone's line, he added, "then we're gonna have to do this the hard way," and shoved the accursed pen back into his pocket.

* * *

A few more days passed, and more attacks happened to everyone's despair. Finnick didn't care though. Who _did_ seem to care was Nick, and he wasn't entirely sure why at first, but now he is. It's that bunny, the one he got involved with trying to solve some case of something or other. He didn't care what it was, it was too hilarious at the time the way the bunny had managed to outwit Nick.

Finnick is driving the van towards their usual meeting place, the alley where Judy confronted Nick, and where he saw him last. Bobbing his head to the blaring music with his shades on, the radio suddenly cuts out and he looks at it with a scowl. Then it returns, but instead of music, it's news. He would have turned it off immediately if it hadn't been about what he was just thinking on. "Breaking News: The officer responsible for solving the missing mammals case and revealing that there may be a biological reason behind the attacks, Officer Judy Hopps, officially resigned today for unknown reasons. Chief Bogo and Mayor Bellwether refused to make any comments on the matter. It is suspected that..."

The rest he tuned out as his head became full of thoughts about his fellow con-mammal and that bunny. When he first saw Nick, he seemed quite out of character, even more so than what he's noticed lately. He was _angry_. But even someone as insensitive as Finnick could notice that it wasn't just anger in those eyes, there was a lot of pain too.

"Oooohh Nick is probably gonna wanna hear this." He surmised. When he arrived at the alley way, sure enough, Nick was there. Leaning against the wall eating a pawpsicle with some shades over his eyes.

Finnick jumped out of the car and approached slowly and anxiously. For the first time in...who knows how long, he was rather apprehensive to speak. It was obvious that Nick cared for her on some level, now that she had resigned, maybe he'd lose her forever. But then again, they weren't around each other for the past while anyways he reasoned with himself, so how would it make anything any different?

While he was debating with himself, Nick cast him a curious glance but didn't say anything. A few more moments passed until Finnick quietly spoke with his unusually low voice. "Your bunny friend resigned today, according to the radio."

"She quit?!" He yelled out in surprise, startling Finnick a tad. Quickly composing himself, he angrily added. "Well good riddance then. Not like she helped _make the city a better place_ like she promised...among other things." And there went his anger. New record, it lasted a whole six seconds in his mind.

A few awkward moments passed until Finnick asked gruffly, "So we gonna work or what?" Not caring much about the problems his partner in crime was clearly failing at working out. Nick simply looked at him and grinned. Yup, he had a plan.

Several hours later, they had made a pretty successful hustle with a herd of goats that all wanted their usual lunch, grass in a cup. Once they split the money, as per usual they planned on parting ways, but as Finnick got into the van and was about to say something snarky to his partner, he saw Nick that had vanished. He frowned at this odd turn of events.

 _Where'd the hell'd he go so fast?_ He thought. Getting back out of the van he walked around looking for any trace. Looking far off into the distance he saw the Fox trudging his way to the outskirts of town by cutting across the fields. The one and only reason he'd be going that way, would be to go to his favorite bridge to sit under. ' _Or was it to mope under?'_ he added to his own thoughts with a smirk. He'd often see him sitting under that bridge after they pulled a more morally questionable hustle or if Nick simply didn't want to work that day and didn't feel like chilling out in his rinky dink apartment that was always a mess.

As he watched him go, he felt a twinge of something in his chest... was it compassion, sadness, sympathy? Before it could grow into anything that he may act on though, he crushed it with an iron fist. He then proceeded to forgot about the other fox and went on his way to do his own business.

"Whatever," he mumbled to himself, slightly irked. He'll just have to get another partner in crime. You never kept one for long anyways. He and Nick had been working together for a while now, so they had long exceeded the expectation of how long partners in crime would last.

As Nick slumped into the garden chair that was awaiting him under the bridge, he took out the carrot pen again and stared at it, remembering the precious memories connected to it with a sad smile. _How come none of the vixens I dated were as clever as that bunny?_ _Talk about mixed up stereotypes…_

Realizing how conflicted his mind was he let his head fall into his hands. Tears threatened to form, his lips twitched, the lump in his throat returned, but _no_. He wouldn't cry. He hasn't in a long _long_ time, so he wouldn't now just because of some stupid dumb... blind ...clever ...beautiful bunny. Seeing where his thoughts were quickly taking him, and that they weren't helping chase the tears away, he let out a shaky heavy breath to steady himself.

"Oh Carrots..." She wasn't leaving his mind any time soon, and neither were these feelings.

He wouldn't know for quite some time, but a couple hundred miles away, in a house on a carrot farm, a female bunny was in the same exact position on her bed. She had just changed into some more country like clothing, jeans and a flannel pink shirt. Ever since she left her badge on that table with the mayor and Chief Bogo, she hadn't exactly been that emotionally stable. So, before she went outside to begin what she hoped she'd never do, she had to compose herself. This was proving to be quite the difficult task with thoughts of a particular fox on her mind. Now that she was home, she felt even worse than she did while in Zootopia. _Nick was right_ , she had realized. _He knew this would happen._

A few more minutes passed as she fought off tears that had threatened to escape. _No,_ she had told herself, _I won't cry. I won't be that emotional bunny Dad always is._ With her face in her hands and her ears all the way down, she let out a heavy sigh as she realized the thoughts of Nick weren't going away any time soon. Especially since she never got to apologize to him for the prejudice she hardly knew she harbored towards him and other predators. She knew why it was there, but it still wasn't fair of her.

"Oh Nick...I'm so sorry..."

* * *

He really wouldn't have cared about the other fox's emotions or problems that he was having, but he kept not being at their usual place of meeting for the day's hustle. On a couple occasions Finnick checked from a distance to see if the red fox was where he thoughts he was, under that bridge again, and most times he was right. Sending him an icy cold glare from a distance was useless but it made him feel better, just shrugging it off no longer worked.

It had just been another day in his van, thinking of where to check out next for his newest scandal or where to look for a new partner in crime. Since his current, or rather, _old_ one was just being a depressed lump of fur under a bridge. That's when he heard a series of soft knocks on the van's back doors.

 _Who the hell would knock on the door?! Not even Nick does that! Must be someone looking for trouble._

His senses on high alert, adrenaline coursing through his veins, he puffed himself up as best as he could, grabbed the bat in the back and kicked open the doors with as much strength as he could muster.

"Who is it?!" He yelled, ready to face whoever it was that was asking for it.

What he saw he definitely did not expect. It was _her_. That bunny. What was her name again? Janet? Jenny? ...Penny? Before he could collect himself she beat him to the punch and said, "I need to find Nick. Please..."

Slightly stunned by this turn of events, he only opened and closed his mouth, trying to get his mouth to form words, to say something. She was definitely _very_ pretty. Wearing a pink flannel shirt and jeans, she probably came from a farm. And those amethyst eyes _really_ stood out with her silver fur. He could see for a moment, why Nick could possibly be interested in a bunny.

Shaking his heads of such thoughts he finally spoke with a surprisingly soft tone.

"He's uh...he might not be...erm, happy to see you...right now... I hope you know." He was never much of a gentle-mammal but he didn't want to just crush this bunny's spirits. She was too cute for that. Though she was taller than him, and that bugged him. Even a bunny was taller than him!

"I know, I know! I just- I really need to talk to him, I think I figured it out! Where is he?" She said so lively he clearly shouldn't have worried about her spirits.

After giving her directions to where the depressed lump of fur was, she quickly said thanks and ran back into her beat up truck and sped off in a screech. His mouth hung open for a moment or so afterwards. She sure was full of energy. He could again see why Nick would like to be around her. It'd be a good match with his more reserved witty character. Pulling the two doors closed and picking up the bat he dropped in his stupor he sat back down into the front seat.

For the first time in...well, quite some time, he genuinely smiled. He didn't really care for Nick, but he sure seemed to about her. And she cared about him. He wondered how this would turn out, with Nick being as upset as he was last time he checked. Finnick really didn't care...but he sorta did. A fox and a bunny, working together or otherwise… what a pair. Maybe together they could fix all the fear and prejudice happening around them by showing you _can_ trust a predator to have your back. Even a bunny doesn't need to fear her natural enemy.

* * *

Under the bridge, said depressed lump of fur was sipping on a drink with his sunglasses on, enjoying the sun's rays when he heard the pitter patter of someone's approaching paws. Who was-

"Nick? Nick?" The owner's voice called out.

Oh…it was her.

He just continued to noisily slurp on his basically empty drink. She'd find him if she had gotten this far. That's when her head appeared over the ledge of the bridge. Immediately she sighed and smiled.

"Oh Nick. Night Howler's _aren't_ wolves. They're toxic flowers. I think somebody is targeting predators and making them go savage." She said as she hopped down the hill and came to his side.

 _So the clever bunny figured it out._

Setting his cup down and taking off his sunglasses, he stood up and starting walking away. "Wow…" he said quietly with a clear tone of disinterest. "Isn't that interesting?"

She was rather stunned for a moment. She was half expecting him to be excited that she figured it out. But it quickly made sense. He was still hurting from their last meeting. Time for that apology she thought up a thousand times.

"Wait..wait listen..," she stumbled with her words, desperately trying to get them all out at the same time. "I...I know you'll never forgive me and I don't blame you!" She called out. Yup, she was right. For all the damage she's done, the betrayal he felt. He couldn't just…brush that under the rug. So he kept walking.

"I wouldn't forgive me either." She added. That made him slowly come to a stop. Slightly interested in what she had to say for herself now.

"I was ignorant. And irresponsible. And small minded. But predators shouldn't suffer because of my mistakes…" She couldn't see him but his features softened a bit at this.

"I have to fix this….but I can't do it without you." He wasn't sure what to think or feel about that… did she…have feelings too? He was sure she could do this by herself if need be.

"And…and after we're done…you can hate me." She said, and that's when it started. Sobs started shoving their way into her words. Her voice started breaking. And so did Nick's resolve to stay angry at her. What male doesn't hate it when a female cries in his presence? And he cared about this one…Buuuut just in case she said something golden he grabbed a hold of that blasted carrot recording pen, ready to record.

"A-and that'll be fine. Because I was a _horrible_ friend." _No you weren't_. "And I hurt you." _I suppose you did._ "And you can walk away knowing that you were right _all_ along…" This was it; she was going to say it. She was gonna admit something. So he thumbed the recorder button.

She sucked in a breath to try and steady herself. _"I really_ _am just a dumb bunny._ " And she broke. Tears were falling back there. It almost broke his heart to hear her whimpering as she tried to control herself. She really did feel horrible about all of this. _No wonder she resigned._

Well, apology was over and accepted. And he couldn't hold back a response anymore. He had some stuff to tell her later, but first, he pressed the replay button.

" _I really am just a dumb bunny."_ It said. He grinned at his imagination of what she looked like behind him right now. For good measure he played it again and held the pen up for her to see. _"I really am just a dumb bunny."_

"Don't worry Carrots." He said as he turned around with the most mischievous smile he's smiled in quite some time. "I'll let you erase it. In _48_ hours." _Just like you did with me ya stinker._

She let out a small relieved laugh at that and sniffed and wiped away her tears. Then started trudging on over to him. He agreed with the idea.

"Alright, get in here." He said and opened his arms for her slowly incoming embrace. Instead she just banged her head against his chest. He smiled even wider. _This bunny._

"Ok. Oh you bunnies, you're so emotional." He jested quietly while bringing her in closer and patting her head patronizingly. She started laughing at that so he had to continue messing with her. "There we go deep breath." More laughing. "Are you just trying to steal the pen? Is that what this is?" The sadness was all gone now; she was full on laughing and started playing along, reaching for the pen with him keeping it out of reach and almost laughing himself. Things were basically back to how they were already.

Then he felt her feet on the tip of his tail, and had to end the tender moment. "You are stepping on my tail though, off off off." She quickly stepped off and apologized with a laugh. Good timing though. He never was the most comfortable in tender moments like that.

Shortly thereafter, they were both in her family farm truck and driving across the bridge of sulking and back into town. They were back together and back at it. Two partners in crime and-no. _Just partners_. No matter the stereotypes or ancestral fear that would try to keep them apart, they were partners.

He's had many partners before. But he was surely meant to be partners for life with this bunny.

And times will come to show just how accurate that is.

" _Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." –Galadriel, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring_

* * *

 _A/N: Well there ya have it. Tell me what you thought in the reviews. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. And I of course don't own that quote, that'd be J.R.R. Tolkien's words, or Peter Jackson's..._


End file.
